Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Nigerian students and other international students across Canada are organising protests against the backdrop of looming deportations.
According to a Canadian news platform, OMNI News, Canada is currently witnessing countrywide protests as more than 70,000 international student graduates could face deportation due to federal policy changes. It said the futures of unprecedented number of students who came to the country with dreams of a new life are now in limbo.
Naujawan Support Network, a student advocacy group, said the graduates are at risk of being deported when their work permits expire at the end of 2024. This comes after the Canadian government announced changes to its immigration policies, which include limiting study permits.
“The impact has been devastating for these students. Tens of thousands who had planned to apply for permanent residency after completing their studies say they are now left with heavy loans and shattered dreams,” the advocacy group said.
A group of students have set up encampments outside the legislative assembly in Prince Edward Island, protesting overnight for more than three months.
The international students say they are facing a critical situation as new provincial policies for a 25 per cent reduction in permanent residency nominations have left many unexpectedly vulnerable to deportation.
Similar situations are also happening in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.
Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student who is facing deportation, said: “I spent the most crucial six years of my life taking many risks to come to Canada.
“For the past six years, I studied, I worked, I paid taxes, I earned enough CRS [Comprehensive Ranking System] points, but the government has just taken advantage of us.”
Singh is one of the former international students who spent his family’s life savings on tuition abroad. He is now facing the dreadful deadline of his work permit expiring, and there is no promise of permanent residency in sight.
“There isn’t consistency anymore. At first, there were CEC [Canadian Experience Class] draws every two weeks, so they prepared for that. Now, students don’t know when the next draws will be, causing huge backlogs,” Kanwar Sierah, an immigration consultant explained.
Hundreds of international students and immigrant workers have held rallies in recent months throughout Brampton, Ontario, pushing back against a narrative that blames them for local housing and job crises.
The students and advocacy groups, such as the International Sikh Student Organisation, said that such problems are rooted in broader policy failures rather than the immigration of international students.
They are calling on the federal government to extend work permits and provide clear pathways to permanent residency, emphasising that they contribute significantly to the Canadian economy and deserve fair treatment.
The students and the advocacy groups are urging the government to extend post-graduate work permits, provide consistent and transparent pathways to permanent residency, and address the systemic issues that have led to their exploitation.
They added that without these changes, Canada will lose not only a significant portion of its skilled workforce, but also the trust of future international students.
